Alert: May contain spoilers for the adventure “For Duty and Deity”
After a day or two climbing up and down stairs, following the Lady, we reached a huge door with rounded pillars of white marble on either side, and scrollwork in marble across the top. The air was warm and bright, like a day in spring.
She opened the door for us, and beyond it we found a marketplace…rather like the place we first appeared, except even more so: thousands of stalls, thousands of people, all colors, all forms of dress, with sounds of all languages around us.
She walked in a straight line – no doubt or hesitation about where she was going – and led away from the sun (finally we had a proper sky again) until we reached a signpost. Zilchus and Wakeen were two of the names there, although I don’t suppose the Lady needed the directions. She led the way on through the crowd until it thinned a little, and we climbed the steps of a tall temple, shining golden in the morning light.
As soon as she crossed the threshold, a wave of excitement seemed to crash against the beach of the worshippers there. A huge winged lion with a woman’s face bellowed out that the Golden Lady had finally returned, and greeted the Lady with much affection and respect. The Lady quickly sent her off to get something from the Bringer of Joy (her friend, we remember – the Dancing Lady) and had some servants bring us a cold lunch in a side room. It was nice for some peace and quiet, and to feel a little more stability than the Staircase can offer.
Before too long, we were called out to a balcony with the rest of the temple attendants, watching the Lady as she looked out over her city. Something bright and beautiful was gliding down from the sky…I thought it was a chariot on fire, but Raven insists it looked like a woman with wings, and Usin thinks it looked like a group of ladies dancing around another one in the middle, but it was too bright to say for sure.
The Dancing Lady waved her hand, and a shower too bright to look at covered Wawkeen for a moment. There was the tinkling of coins, and sparks like from a golden fire…and then it was all gone again, except for the Lady standing there…and I cannot describe the change that came over her, except that it was majestic. She looked more bright and beautiful and composed the farther we walked on the Stairs, but this was a whole new level. I suppose there really is a difference between gods and mortals.
Perhaps that’s why we don’t remember the time while we’re dead? Because setting eyes on the deity we serve would make coming back to give our necessary service to those still alive almost intolerable? I cannot say.
The Golden Lady brought us into her sanctuary to officially thank us, and tell her story in a little more depth.
When Ao (the real Ao, in charge of the gods of this world) made all the gods mortal, Wawkeen and her friend Leera (the Bringer of Joy) tried to find a way back. At first they tried to get to the Celestial Staircase, and then to this place – the Marketplace Eternal – but the God of Duty (the only one still serving ar his post) blocked their way.
So the queen of commerce decided to make some deals. First, she gave her “divinity” to Leera for safe-keeping (this was the only word she could find to describe it, and I suppose it’s something beyond what we could understand anyway). Then she arranged with Celestian the god of planar travel to move her to the Astral Plane (so I suppose he still had some of his powers, or maybe he was quicker at earning forgiveness from Ao than the others were).
Once in the Astral Plane (which we know is a dangerous place, and not nice to travel alone), Wawkeen got in contact with Gradzt, demon lord of decadence. She tried to make a deal to get herself back to her place…but unlike devils, demons do not respect contracts!
So she ended up his prisoner, and from things we overheard in the Abyss, it seems he wanted to put his daughter on her throne (and we will not argue about whether demons can have children at this time).
At long last, however, by the appeal of Ao, and the visions of Sister Helana, and the help of Celune queen of the stairs, we found her and rescued her. Hopefully the Lady has learned some valuable life lessons (at the very least that you can’t deal with demons) and the realms of this Ab Torrid will be safer and better for it.
Finally, she gave us some gifts. First, all of us were healed of whatever leftover scrapes and bruises we still had. She also gave us a big bag of gold to share, and a rod of resurrection, and a few other things that could come in handy supporting a (small) fighting force.
Then she gave everyone a weapon according to their preferences – Mikael got a staff, some of us got swords, some daggers…and I got a bow. It looks like pure gold, though it weighs about the same as my hornwood bow, and they say it does different damage depending on where you are and what creatures you’re fighting…being most powerful when fighting the Abyss.
I hope that doesn’t mean we’re going back there one day…but who am I kidding. This is what I am. I am a weapon in the hand of my Lady, and what I may think I want doesn’t really have anything to do with it. If I can squeeze in some peace and quiet between the moments of strife, that’s about what a man in my position could expect.
Lady Wakeen also gave each of us a token with her symbol on it for buying one item, no matter the cost, from the bazaar outside.
I think Ezekiel would have gone home with half the bazaar if he could. Last I saw him, he was in a tent of “gently used tomes.” Mikael was talking to a man with big lizard things – I think for riding on, but I’m actually not sure. Really, I had a terrible time until Aliana told everyone to meet back at the temple promptly at noon. Thank goodness everyone heard her, because Raven took Keom off toward what looks like a row of weapons stalls, and we haven’t seen him since. Usin says Theobaldus is also in the bookshop, engrossed in something Usin couldn’t read. He found my hiding place behind a tent and is eating something that he says is like snow, except fruit flavored. He didn’t spend his token on it – just money. Almost every currency you could imagine is worth at least something here.
**
Usin said the snow snack place had many different flavors, but he had strawberry. I don’t think I’m up to that.
Clatrial found our hiding place, and said this was no way for a warrior to behave – that a warrior grabs every situation by the horns.
I asked, did that mean that every situation was horn-ed – but before I really got an answer, Agnar showed up and they dragged me off to a tent that had all kinds of quivers…and they actually had a quiver that’s almost like a bag of holding, and lets you grab whichever arrow you might need for a given situation. It seems a bit expensive, but it is a very handy idea – and quite apart from the token, I really have no idea how many gems I have in my bag. And gems don’t shoot monsters for me…
Ez hasn’t bought anything yet, but he has a list of about ten things he’s trying to choose among. Mikael resisted the urge to buy a lizard (maybe because he realized we couldn’t get it home) and bought a fancy staff. Raven says there’s a whole row of stalls selling magic jewelry and potions and such that I should really check out. Aliana says our after-lunch shopping spree should just be a few hours, since after all we do have things to do. I think Theobaldus has bought a heavy book, but he won’t show it to anyone else.
After that, we’ll meet up once again…and theoretically Ezekiel’s cleric spell will transport us back home. Then I just have to decide whether or not I tell Andari that I died again.
Find the previous entry here.